Weeks have passed by since President Julius Maada Bio decided to indefinitely suspend the Resident Minister North.
In some quarters, the decision by the President was lauded and timely, for others, he shouldn’t have taken the decision he took owing to the impeccable fact that Abu Abu’s undiluted and unwavering penchant for the SLPP during days in captivity and Opposition was remarkable. He was a fearless Green among the Red Devils even in the face of covert and overt intimidation against his person and assets. Imagine!
“Can the SLPP afford to abandon him”? Pa Kórtu asked
While I don’t want to question the decision of His Excellency to suspend Abu Abu, I’m equally of the belief that the Honourable Minister deserves a comeback against the backdrop that his utterances served as a warning shot to lawless youths who wallowed under the cloak of impunity and drugs.
Without mincing my words,” The Minister fom, e nor try at all” but on a second thought, Abu Abu’s sudden outburst was a necessary evil. Lawlessness had suddenly become the order of the day and made worse, youths are always the willing tools to wreck incalculable havoc on individuals and government infrastructures.
They needed a hard voice to wake them from the “kush n dole” hangover.
Following that statement by Abu Abu, some youths had already asked their guys to go easy or face the wrath of Abu Abu.
Make no mistake, Abu Abu knows the bad guys, those who are pushing for him to be sacked are doing so on purpose. They know he alone is a brigade with sophisticated arsenal to keep the bad guys in their caves.
He has refused to join the SLPP long bench simply because he is one hell of a guy Paopa cannot afford to shutdown especially at a time when lawlessness is taken over our youths. His sudden outburst hours after the President spoke tough and recommended drastic measures against any further acts of indiscipline and lawlessness, resonated with similar fashion years ago by a former minister in the last regime in Kono. He referred to himself as the “New Sheriff in town” and threatened to discipline anyone caught.
Cliqueism took to its heels when Paolo waged war on 5 O’s. They abandoned the towns and went into the wilderness. Even those who bragged being Celebrated 5 O’s refused being called thus. Mantra of “kill dog before dog yee mek dog no say die dae” took the fore. The gallows were cleaned; apparently “na bin gargar” but it yielded the required dividend. Without taking brief for minister Abu Abu, that might have been the reasons for his outburst but the timing was not proper. His public apology to the President and the people of Sierra Leone was highly appreciable. To err is human, to forgive is divine.
Mr. President, the 1991 Constitution confers enormous powers on you. It falls within your remit and prerogative powers to hire and fire. I’m joining the barrage of Sierra Leoneans to make a passionate appeal for the reinstatement of Abu Abu. His youthful exuberance and frenzy will now be checked. He will surely learn from his mistakes.
To err is human.